ABSTRACT:

As global warming became a cause of concern in the 1980s, researchers and climate activists initially paid little attention to the possible health effects of a warmer world. This changed quickly between 1985 and 1989, when scientists working on contracts with the US Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency extrapolated from existing knowledge about the impact of weather on health to speculate about how global warming would impact health. However, they downplayed the impact of their contributions by highlighting the uncertainty in their models and the adaptability of human societies. Since that time, physicians and other health scientists have maintained a steady drumbeat of warnings about the health effects of global warming. They have published widely in the medical literature and participated actively in international scientific collaborations. Their research has significantly increased the breadth and depth of climate-health science and shown that measurable impacts of global warming have already begun. But as the many climate crises of 2023 show, action against global warming remains inadequate. Is it still reasonable to hope that health advocacy will incite communities and politicians to act? The history of climate and health advocacy reveals many obstacles that must be overcome.

摘要：

随着全球变暖在 20 世纪 80 年代成为人们关注的焦点，研究人员和气候活动人士最初很少关注世界变暖可能对健康造成的影响。1985 年至 1989 年间，这种情况迅速发生了变化，当时与美国能源部和环境保护局签订合同的科学家根据有关天气对健康影响的现有知识推断，推测全球变暖将如何影响健康。然而，他们通过强调模型的不确定性和人类社会的适应性来淡化自己贡献的影响。从那时起，医生和其他健康科学家就不断发出关于全球变暖对健康影响的警告。他们在医学文献中发表了大量文章，并积极参与国际科学合作。他们的研究显着增加了气候健康科学的广度和深度，并表明全球变暖的可衡量影响已经开始。但正如 2023 年的许多气候危机所表明的那样，应对全球变暖的行动仍然不够。希望健康倡导能够激励社区和政治家采取行动是否仍然合理？气候和健康倡导的历史揭示了许多必须克服的障碍。